


Future Things

by rowofstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Awkward Dates, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 14:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20137201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: An awkward third date conversation leads to a clarity about the future.





	Future Things

**Author's Note:**

> For Writer's Month prompt #6: kids. Just pointless fluff. Nothing to see here.

“So, do you want more kids?”

Gold’s fork clattered as it hit the plate, and the gentle din of the restaurant seemed to halt, only to be replaced with one of the most awkward silences of his life. He stared across the table at Belle French, the town librarian, the single most captivating person he’d ever met, and, if he managed not to mess up too badly for the next year or so, the possible future Mrs. Gold.

“Uh, w-what?” he managed, his voice cracking as his brain attempted to process what he was being asked.

Belle’s cheeks flushed red, her head dropped, and she covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry!” she mumbled into her palms. Then she looked up, feeling warm from the neck up with embarrassment. “I _cannot_ believe I said that out loud, that is not what I meant.”

Gold shook his head. “Okay...?”

She sighed. “No. No, that _is_ what I meant, but - that’s not _how_ I meant it to sound.”

He cleared his throat and moved his fork to the side before adjusting the location of his wine glass. His hands were desperate for something to do, something to distract and relieve the awkward tension that had settled between them. 

The short answer to her question was unequivocally _yes._ Yes, he very much wanted to have more children, specifically with her. But he was also very aware that he wasn’t getting any younger, and that the window for such a thing was probably small, even if they managed to get that far in their relationship, and assuming once they got there she did as well. If she didn’t want children, well, that wasn’t a deal breaker by any means. The cart was now well and truly miles before the horse.

“What, uh, what did you mean?”

Belle worried her bottom lip, and he felt his eyes drawn to it. They hadn’t been on that many dates yet, and the fact that they were even _dating_ at all was still hard to comprehend, but he was becoming increasingly aware that he was falling hopelessly in love with her. 

She exhaled and then met his eyes, smiling. “You’ve been talking about your son for the last twenty minutes, about his fiance, and the baby they’re going to have, and -” She reached across the small table and took his hand in hers. “And it’s _wonderful._ You’re clearly a very devoted father, and Neal, Emma, and their baby - your grandchild - are so lucky.”

It was Gold’s turn to feel a tinge of embarrassment. He’d hardly been a perfect father, and he was definitely making up for some things in the past, but he was determined to be everything his family needed him to be.

“Thank you,” he managed.

“I know this is only our third date,” she continued, “but I think - I think we should be able to talk to each other about things. Future things, you know?”

The heat he’d been feeling on the back of his neck turned into a gentle warmth that seemed to flow over him, and he nodded, smiling. “I completely agree.” 

Her eyes were so blue and clear, so open, that he wanted to lay his soul bare for her, right in the back corner table of Marco’s, but he managed to keep it to only answering her question. 

“In the spirit of talking about - _future_ \- things, yes. I would love to have more children,” he said. She started to smile at that, and he couldn’t help himself, adding, “Especially if they have their mother’s eyes.”

At that her smile shifted into a beaming grin, which she prompting turned down to the table, hiding her face for a moment. The hand that was still covering his moved, drawing his fingers up until she could slip hers between them. The sensation of her soft skin sliding over his, and the gentle sweeping motion of her thumb along the side of his hand, sent a shiver through him. His eyelids fluttered and when he opened them again she was looking at him intently.

Belle licked her lips, trailing her tongue slowly over the same spot she’d nibbled earlier. She drew her fingers along his as her eyes darkened in a way that had nothing to do with the dim lighting of the restaurant, and he could feel an entirely different sort of heat settling in his belly.

“Maybe,” she said, in a low, soft voice, “we should take our dessert to go?”


End file.
